So, I have been messing around with the summary formats and styles. So far, I am disappointed to say, that they all have been virtually useless to me. They are too general, not detailed enough. They summaries they give do not include final decisions made or action items or follow ups that are valid and helpful. I am looking for a format that will summarize the discussions AND provide a final, “this is what we decided” kind of summary. Out of my two hour meeting for tonight, the kind of summary I was hoping to see, I cannot get with any of the summary types I have tried. Maybe I have not tried the right one yet, but there are so many to choose from, I am choosing the ones that look right but seem to be coming up empty. Is there a way to get the kind of summary I am looking for? Or to customize the type of summary I want? If I were to put my transcript into ChatGPT, I could get it to summarize the way I want to by prompting it. I seem to be striking out here, which is disappointing that this may not work the way I have been hoping it would.
For instance….this is a typical summary (after having tried multiple formats and styles) of what I am getting…
Candidate Responses
The transcript features substantial discussion primarily among speakers regarding various church operations and financial management tasks. Specific areas discussed include subscription services, insurance policies, maintenance contracts, and budget allocations for various ministries and operational needs like web services and educational programs. The conversation also touches upon personnel matters and considerations for cost-related adjustments.
• Speaker discussions on financial allocations: Handling of church budget items such as insurance, maintenance of facilities, and subsidization of educational ministries.
• Volunteer role adequacy: Discussion on the role efficiency of volunteers in the audiovisual team.
• Personnel matters and wage concerns: Considerations for increasing pay rates for secretarial support in recognition of their duties.
Skills Assessment
Technical Skills:
• Financial management: The discussion largely focuses on budget allocations, spending trends, and future financial planning.
Soft Skills:
• Communication: Speakers display effective communication skills, coordinating on funding decisions and strategic planning.
• Decision-Making: Collective decision-making regarding budget adjustments and facility maintenance.
• Leadership: Attempts to delegate and encourage volunteerism in church activities demonstrate leadership qualities.
Experience Review
There is significant experience demonstrated in managing operational, financial, and volunteer aspects of a church setup. The speakers discuss contract renewals, service provider evaluations, and budgetary adjustments, indicative of hands-on management experience in a non-profit/religious institution setting.
• Facility Management: Knowledge in requesting and allocating funds for civil maintenance activities and renewal of key service contracts.
• Budget Handling: Experience in systematically handling a church’s annual budget, forecasting needs for education and community services.
Evaluation Summary
Overall, the speakers exhibit competency in church operational and financial management, carefully deliberating on budget constraints and prioritizing expenditures. There needs to be ongoing focus on improving volunteer participation and maintaining operational conservative strategies to avoid budgetary deficits, which are recurrent topics in the conversation. Communication and leadership efforts through dialogue and proactive planning efforts suggest readiness to address future challenges.
Recommendation: Consider strategies to optimize volunteer deployment and ensure regular financial audits for effective resource management. Enhancements in operational workflows and a continued focus on community engagement are suggested for sustained organizational performance.
The general nature of this is useless to me. I want something more like this…. (This was generated by copying the transcript and posting in ChatGPT to ask for a detailed summary with action points and final conclusions based on discussion - I did not post the entire thing due to privacy issues…)
4. AV / Livestream Ministry
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Encouragement to build team ownership and reliability.
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__ plans to meet ***__*** and the AV team to re-emphasize commitment and earlier arrival times (by 9:30 AM).
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Positive report: livestream quality excellent; camera repositioning and speaker upgrades discussed (potential use of remaining $10,000 tech fund).
5. College Matching Scholarship Program
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Discussion to formalize a church–college matching scholarship:
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Up to $1,000 per student per year (split $500/semester).
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Four potential recipients: ______________
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Funding options:
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Raise designated gifts and match what is given.
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Church covers up to $4,000 total, offset by donations if possible.
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Consensus: Present both options to congregation and decide approach.
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Immediate need: ______________ current semester aid (school won’t match until spring).
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6. Miscellaneous Updates
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Funeral for __: set for Saturday in the old sanctuary; logistics finalized (__ leading, ______________ praying).
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Leadership & Wives Fellowship: date TBD — __ and __ to confirm options for November/December.
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Community Outreach (Christmas Help): Potential partnership with local school families again this year.
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Old Church Boiler Inspection: ______________ to follow up with vendor contact.
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Flag Replacement: ______________ to replace Christian flag in November.
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Cleaning & Grounds: __ & __ already cleaned; ______________ mowing Friday.
This is what I am looking for Pocket to do, but I cannot get any of the summary styles to generate this kind of summary. Am I missing something or does it not do this?
Hey @mkshmily- this seems like a feature I requested. It would be great if you could upvote it here Template Creating and Sharing in a "Template Community"
Yes. I noticed that with just the only option I have the AI automatic only… we supposed to have unlimited summaries but only option we have, for free tier, is the auto one. I haven’t tried the pro trial yet. Just learning how it works before signing up. Also ask Pocket you only get 3 questions only. You can ask to summarize there but you only have 3 chances only. 
so it’s disappointing to hear that you having same issue with the other pro options summaries… and ouch. On the good side, the recoding are pretty clear even with background loud music… even though it got my name wrong, without background noise… but I wasn’t expecting complete perfection transcriptions…
Hey @mkshmily from what I can see Auto-Detect combined with Action Items should get you an output like this just lemme know if its not the case we will work on improving this!
Will check that out. Thanks!
Yeah, I know I could ask Pocket for more specifics, but I should not have to do extra work to get it summarized like I want. There should be a template or format already predesiged. They have enough options in the pro version. There should be a way to built your own template and get it to do what I want. Truthfully though, having tried a half dozen options, ALL of them seem to come back with these vague generalities. I need something that will summarize the conversation AND give me the final conclusion/outcome, decision and tasks that need to be done. I need something that will make my life easier not create more work by then having to fight to figure out how to get it summarized like I want.
Auto-Detect is what I have most consistently used and it has failed to summarize what I want or need. How do I combine that with Actions Items?
That may work for action items, but I honestly want it to give me a summarized overview of what was discussed and what the final conclusion was. I do not need a general, “they discussed various financial matters and showed competencies” style of summary. It would be great if a detailed summary with outcome/conclusion and task list could be included in the free summary versions. I also do not want to have to pay the monthly pro price to get it.
Hey @mkshmily Action Items will show up in another tab right below the summary do let me know if thats not the case
The action summary option?
the action items tab. I have messaged you for some more details as well
OK. I think I see what you are talking about, but even that does not accomplish what I want. Maybe I am just used to how Chat works, but I had hoped that the summary options would work similarly. I have responded to your message, I would love to chat more and see if I am missing something or if there is something more than can be done.
Would love to see this idea upvoted on the feedback site. Template Creating and Sharing in a "Template Community"
Thanks @mkshmily! I saw that on a competitor’s site and thought it was a great idea!
@SM7 Oh, it absolutely is! I am finding that the current summary styles are inadequate, woefully so, for my needs. The ability to create my own and train the AI to summarize how I want would be invaluable. I do hope they will consider it and implement it.
Yes, completely agree. Seems like there are many creative minds here so it will be awesome if this gets done for all of us.